Hatchishh !!!!!

We all learned since primary school that dry season in Indonesia is from April to October, and the rainy season is from October to April. However the last few years is pretty hectic with unexpected showers in the middle of hot July and an awfully dry December. I guess the El Nino will not let us pass without some sort of grand finale.

So Jakarta is raining for the last 2 days. The streets are filled with water although it’s not “flood season” yet. So you bet the traffic jam is getting worse with office workers waiting for the rain to subside before starting the race home in the evening. Funny thing, everything is slowing down when it rains because it usually ends within a few hours; while in Japan it’s business as usual during the “Tsuyu” (continuous rain for 2 days) in June. But the drainage system in our beloved capital city is so poor that it doesn’t cope well with the water volume, causing the flood everytime the heavy rain exceeds 1 hour. Just like what happened 3 months ago when I was stuck in Plaza Indonesia (Jakarta’s affluent hangout place) until midnight because the streets were flooded. (sigh!)

And the rain brings out another problem: flu. There are as many as 4 people in my office wearing jackets, nose red, coughing and sneezing all day. Me? Not a chance! (OK me too). Panadol wouldn’t work. Sipping tea still wouldn’t work. I guess this weekend the cute girl at the theater counter will miss me.